![]() ![]() The smaller moments that focus on the interactions of the three main Minions are the ones that work best. Those opening 20 minutes are proof of that. It would be easy to say that the Minions should just be doled out in small doses, but I still believe they could carry their own film if it were written properly. The little kids, who are obviously the film's target audience, aren't going to recognize them, and this isn't the kind of voicework that requires great emoting. Honestly though, I have to wonder why the filmmakers even bothered to hire such big names. Jennifer Saunders does a decent Queen Elizabeth, and Michael Keaton and Allison Janney turn up in small roles as the head of a family on a crime-spree. John Hamm fares a bit better as her groovy inventor husband. Scarlett Overkill ends up shrill and flat as a rather generic villain. A whole lot of sound and fury happens as a result, some of it amusing, but with a lack of heart or even much originality.Īlthough the cast features several recognizable voices, none of them bring much to their parts. By a fluke they end up working for Scarlett Overkill (Bullock), who has a plan to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, or rather she has a plan for the Minions to steal them for her. After a short detour in New York, they end up in Florida at Villain-con, an obvious spoof of Comic-con that fails to capitalize on the satirical possibilities this presents. In 1968, 3 of the Minions, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, leave the remote Arctic cave where the Minions have been living, to find a new Master. It's when the story kicks off properly that it starts to feel a little lost. They latch onto a T-Rex, a caveman, Dracula, and Napoleon, each one of which they kill with kindness as they attempt to serve them. ![]() This is actually one of the most amusing portions of the film. Through each stage of their evolution they follow their herd instinct to serve the most evil master they can find. ![]() Over the first 20 minutes or so, we see them through history as they evolve through a fish stage and finally on land in the form we've become familiar with. The story follows the Minions from the dawn of time when they are single yellow celled creatures. Beyond the soundtrack, there's nothing included here specifically for the parents. The youngest children in the audience will no doubt love it and there are some funny moments that will appeal to audience members of all ages, but it's lacking the subtext for adults that all the truly classic animated films possess. Financially that's certainly correct as the movie opened to huge box office receipts its opening weekend and no doubt the merchandising is likewise raking in money. Given the little yellow pill-shaped creatures appeal, and the endless marketing opportunities they represent, a spin-off movie of their own must have seemed like a no-brainer. I enjoyed the two Despicable Me movies and found the Minions to be the funniest elements in them. ![]()
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